Weight-motor talking-machine



E. E. TALI AFERRO. WEIGHT MOTOR TALKING MACHINE,

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9. 1918- Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

\ Smuewtoz E. E. TALIAFERRO.

WEIGHT MOTOR TALKING MACHINE.

APPLICATKON man MAR. 9. 1918.

1,366,508. Patented Jam-25,1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

txw w UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD E, TALIAFERRO, OF COLORADO SPRINGS, COLQBADO.

WEIGHT-MOTOR TALKIN G-MACHIN E.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 25, 1921.

Application'filed March 9, 1918. Seria1'N0. 221,484.

same, reference being had .to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to talking machines and other devices for reproducing sound from a permanent record.

The object of my invention is to provide a talking machine in which continuously imparted uniform motion of the sound record is provided by means of a falling weight consisting of an electric motor and its supporting frame.

It is practically impossible to mount an electric motor on either the wood work of the case or on the metal part of the machine in such fashion as to provide silent running. Even thevery best of the motors have an unpleasant vibration which is greatly Inultiplied by the resonant quality of the case, producing an unpleasant effect. 7

In my Patent No. 1,261,969, dated April 9, 1918,71 have shown and described a talking machine operated by a falling weight, which falling weight is automatically raised at appropriate times by an electric motor secured to the framework of the case, thus providing continuously imparted uniform motion to the disk carrier without any variation of any kind during the playing of the record, without regard to its length, thus avoiding the annoying changes of pitch of the sounds reproduced, which is inherent in a spring operated or direct connected electrically operated talking machine. The falling weight in each of-my applications'is automatically returned to the upper portion of its travel bymeans of a pair of trip switches at the upper and lower portions of the travel of the falling weight. While the device shown in my co-pending application is greatly superior to the usual talking machine, due to the provision of uniform driving power for .the sound record support, coupled with means operable before the weight has exhausted its drivingpower to rewind the weight motor without removing ings is of the cabinet or the direct drive by the weight motor from the support carrying the disk record, it is subject to the disadvantage that the noise of the motor is greatly increased by the resonance of the woodwork as in spring operated machines and spreads more or less over the entire case and makes a noise whether or not the motor is noisy.

It is well known that when a well built electric motor is held in the hand or hung free from a cable'wire, or a plurality of such wires, it will be perfectly silent, but if a board it will cause a V allowed to rest on decided noise. In the present application I make use of this truth to avoid practically all of the unpleasant vibrations due to the motor by substituting for the weight motor of my former application the electric motor itself and by providing a switch on the moving frame operated by stationary contact members mounted on the frame in which the motor frame is guided.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a rear machine built in c vention.

Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in section of the motor carrying frame andslides.

Fig. 3 is a side view of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2.-

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic View of the driving mechanism for the turntable.

The talking machine shown in the drawhornless type consisting of a cabinet lhaving a hinged top 2 to permit access tothe turntable chamber 3, beneath which is the upper and lower mechanism chambers 41: and 5, the latter elevation of a talking capable of being divided by appropriate partitions to provide for the reception of records. i p

7 In the present instance my invention has been adapted for use in connection with a talking machine 0 5 the disk type, that is the type in which the sound records containing the selections to be reproduced are in the form of disks. It will be understood, of course, that the invention is of equal application with other types of talking machines and that the illustration in the drawings is merely for the purpose of showing one example in which the present improvements can be advantageously employed.

liounted to rotate within the chamber 3 is a turntable 6 which forms a traveling nformity with my in support for the record disk (not shown) but which will be readily understood as being of a construction well known in the art. The amplifying horn 11 is located within the upper mechanism chamber of the cabinet and extends to the usual sound opening at the front of the case.

In the space below the. chamber base is mounted a casting 12 which may be of any suitable construction adaptable to form a support for the connections between the improved motor. for generating the rotary motion and the turntable 6. The turntable 6 is mounted on the end of a shaft 13 for rotation with the shaft, the latter extending through the base 10 of the chamber 3 and being journaled in the casting 12. The shaft 13 carries, at its end opposite the turntable, a pin 14 which projects through a socket in the arm 15 of the casting 12 and frictionally engagesa ball bearing 16 at the bottom of the socket. Adjustment of the ball bearing to vary the frictional engagement with the pin 14 may be effected by means of a thrust adjusting screw 17 Fixed onthe shaft 13 is a pinion 18 which meshes with a large gear 19 mounted on a shaft 20 which is journal d at its end in the extremity of the arms 15 and 21 of the casting 12. The large gear 19is adapted to be rotated by means of a drum 22 mounted on the shaft 20 when rotary motion is imparted to the drum by means of the falling weight consisting of a frame and an electric motor mounted thereon as hereinafter described. Wound upon the drum 22 is a cord 23 which is endless and extends from the drum 22 over a guide roller 24 from which is suspended the weight motor denoted as a whole by the numeral 25 The weight motor consists of a pair of frames 26 and 27 secured together by means of a relatively heavy base 28 having cars 29 slidably receiving the guides 30 extending from the shelf 31 to the base 32 of the cabinet. Mounted on the base 28 of the weight motor is an electric motor 33, the armature of which carries a worm 34 meshing with a worm wheel 36 on shaft 37 journaled in the two frames 26 and 27. This shaft 37 carries a small pinion 38 meshing with a largerpinion 39 on shaft 40, which also carries a drum 41 for receiving the operating cord 23 which is preferably of steel or brass woven wire.

From the drum 41 the cable 23 passes around sheaves (all. separate) 42 mounted in the upper central part of the weight mo tor to the guide roller 24, from thence to the. drum 22 which drives the turntable 6,

and from the drum 22 to similar sheaves (all separate) 43, and thence around a guide roller 44 to a pulley. 45 from which is suspended a relatively small weight 46, the

purpose of which is to create sufficient-pres- ,soe

sure on the cable to cause the cable to be driven by the falling weight in the same manner as the slight pressure given by a sailor to the rope of the capstan enables the latter tohaul in the heavy anchor of a ship. From the pulley of the weight 46 the cable extends over guide rollers 47 and 48 to the central sheaves 42 of the weight motor, and thence to the drum 41 driven by the electric motor. V

The invention provides means for automatically reventing the weight motor from becoming unwound and for automatically returning the weight motor to the upper portion of the guides 30 before it reaches the end of its travel down the guides to the base of the cabinet, so that no matter when the turntable brake is released the motor is always in condition to impart a continuous, uniform rotary movement to the turntable. This is a distinctadvantage in the talking machine art, for not only is'the motor always responsive to rotate the turntable upon release of the brake, but also any variation of movement during the progress of reproducing the sounds recorded on the record is altogether prevented, for beforethe weight can reach a period in its travel when it would strike the bottom of the shaft, the automatic re-winding device be-' comes instantly efiective to return the weight immediately to the top of the shaft. For this purpose the guide rods 30 are pro vided with an upper switch trip finger 49 near the upper limit of travel of the falling weight, and a similar finger 50 near the bottom of" the cabinet,-these fingers cooperating with a switch 51 on the frame of the falling weight which completes the circuit to the motor through the electric wire 52 connected to the usual socket 53 in the side of the cabinet. When the weight driving the sound record support reaches the lower limit of its travel the finger 5O throws the switch into circuit closing state and the motor revolves, winding the cord about the drum 41, thus elevating the weight up to the point where the finger 49 comes into contact with the switch 51, thus breaking the circuit.

It is to be particularly noted that the pull on the driving cord turning the drum which operates the turn-table is constant whether the weight motor. is ascending, descending or still, andthat, therefore, a high degree of perfection in the reproduction of sound is secured by means. of the continuous even and uniform driving power exerted by the falling weight, and that due to the free suspension of the weightm'otor and the electric motor carried thereby, all of the unpleasant resonance of the motor noise is obviated, giving to the listener merely'the pure tones provided by the sound record.

The parts of the talking machine not herein described are of the conventional type and are, therefore, well known to those familiar with the art.

That is claimed is: a 1. In a talking machine, the combination with a sound record support, means for imparting rotary movement to the support, in-.

cluding a suspended weight, means mounted on the suspended weight for raising the 10 same against the force of gravity and gravity means partly balancing said weight.

* 2. In a talking machine, the combination witha sound record support, a driving drum,

driving connection between said drum and said support, a weight motor, an elevating drum on said weight motor, an electric motor driving said elevating drum, a cable connecting said drums, means for holding said cable taut, and means for supplying current to the electric motor when the weight motor has descended to a predetermined distance and for disconnecting the current when the electric motor has raised the weight motor to a second predetermined point.

'3. In a talking machine,the combination with a sound record support, driving mechanism for furnishing constant uniform driving power to said support including a suspended frame, an electric motor mounted on said frame, a cable connecting the driving means and the electric motor, a guide pulley directing the cord from the frame to the sound record support, an auxiliary weight,

additional means for directing the cable to said auxiliary weight, and means for supplying current to the electric motor, whereby the latter will elevate the driving mechanism.

4:. In a talking machine, the combination with a sound record support, mechanism for 40 driving the support, said driving mechanism including a drum, a suspended substantially vertically slidable frame, a drum on said frame, a cable connecting the two drums, an electric motor carried on the frame and connected to said cable, and gravity means freely movable vertically for holding taut the cable.

5. In a talking machine, the combination with the sound record support, mechanism for driving the support, said mechanism including a drum, a suspended, slidable frame, a drum on said frame, a cable connecting the two drums, an electric motor carried on and movable with the slidable frame and connected with said cable, and a relatively light weight supported by said cable and vertically movable to hold the same taut.

6. In a talking machine, a rotary sound record support, a vertically slidable weight 60 embodying an electric motor, an endless ca ble operatively connecting said support and weight, and means freely suspended in a loop of the cable for holding the same taut.

ED WARD E. TALIAFERRO. 

